Breaking up is never easy – in fact, it absolutely sucks most of the time.
And in the immediate aftermath, it may feel like you never want to set eyes on your ex again – but it turns out for over half of us, that doesn’t last for long,
Yup, according to new research from Lovehoney, once that moment passes, a whopping 53% of us continue to sleep with our ex after a break-up due to sexual compatibility.
There’s no simple way to navigate a breakup, and the sexual wellness have taken a deep dive into the matter to see just how to find out if being friends with an ex can actually work.
Two-thirds of adults choose to remain on good terms with their ex
Lovehoney’s survey of 2,008 people over the age of 18 found that the majority of adults are actually choosing to try and maintain an amicable relationship with their ex-partners, with 69% saying they previously have made attempts to keep things friendly.
Men in particular, were found to be more likely to try and stay pals with an ex, with 71% saying they have, compared to only 57% of those identifying as non-binary and 68% of women.
The survey also revealed that those aged 45-54 were the most likely to be friends with an ex, with three in four (74%) admitting they’ve tried, whereas those aged 18-24 are the most likely to simply cut off their ex, with 42% saying they’ve remained hostile.
Valued friendships are the most common reason people try to keep things friendly
Over half of Lovehoney’s respondents (52%) said that the most common reason for them wanting to remain friends with their ex is due to them simply having had a friendship before anything became romantic.
However, for almost three in 10 men (29%) the idea of cutting their ex off wasn’t appealing due to them wanting to transition into a friends-with-benefits type of relationship.
Alongside sexual compatibility being a stand out reason for people sleeping with their exes, the data showed that18-24 year olds are the most likely to maintain a sexual relationship with an ex as they don’t feel comfortable sharing kinks with a new partner.
One in six ex-partner friendships found to be unsuccessful
Unsurprisingly, the survey revealed that not everyone can have a successful friendship with their ex, with 16% of respondents saying that the friendship didn’t work out. Lovehoney discovered that women were slightly more likely than other genders to consider the friendship a failure, with the most common reason being that the problems from their romance carried over into the friendship (7%).